Ukrainian pancakes in the air fryer are a weekend breakfast that smells of butter and vanilla. In Ukraine, the dish is called nalysnyky: thin pancakes rolled around a sweet cheese filling, laid close together in a dish and baked until the top is lightly golden. The result is soft, warm parcels in a tangy cream that taste best eaten straight from the dish.
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You cook the pancakes themselves in a frying pan, the way you normally would. Only the filled, rolled pancakes go into the air fryer, where they bake under melted butter and crème fraîche. Traditionally, you would use the dry fresh cheese tvorog and the soured cream smetana, but drained cottage cheese and crème fraîche give the same tangy, creamy flavour with ingredients from an ordinary Danish supermarket.
Table of Contents
Why I love Ukrainian pancakes in the air fryer
What I like most about nalysnyky is the contrast. On the outside, a thin and supple pancake; inside, a firm, creamy filling of cottage cheese, egg and vanilla; and on top, a golden top where the crème fraîche has bubbled and thickened along the edge. It tastes as if it took the whole morning, but most of the work is just ordinary pancake cooking.
The recipe makes 8 filled pancakes for 4 people, and the whole dish goes on the table at once, so nobody has to stand at the stove while the others eat.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven
Nalysnyky are traditionally baked in the oven, but a small dish with 8 pancakes is exactly the kind of job the air fryer is good at. It gets up to 160 °C quickly, and the circulating hot air makes the crème fraîche set and take on colour, without you having to heat a whole oven for a dish of about 18 x 18 cm. The moderate temperature is important, because the filling needs to set gently and the cream must not split.
My kitchen test of Ukrainian pancakes
I tested the Ukrainian pancakes in my Cosori Dual Blaze, where heating elements both above and below give even heat around the dish. After preheating to 160 °C, they got 15 minutes, and I turned the dish half a turn after 8 minutes so they baked evenly. When the time was up, the crème fraîche was bubbling around the edge, the tops were lightly golden and the filling had set. If yours are not quite there, give the pancakes another 2-3 minutes at 160 °C.
Do not skip the 5-minute rest. Straight from the air fryer, the cream is thin, but while the dish stands, the filling sets and the cream thickens. Allow 55 minutes in total: 35 minutes for the pancakes, filling and assembly, 15 minutes in the air fryer and 5 minutes of resting. The dish has to fit in the basket, so if you have a smaller air fryer, you can make the recipe in two batches in a smaller dish.
Let the cottage cheese drain in a sieve while you cook the pancakes, and press out the last of the moisture with the back of a spoon. A dry filling is the difference between parcels that hold their shape and pancakes that refuse to roll.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is a wet filling. Cottage cheese releases a lot of liquid, and if it is not allowed to drain in a sieve, the filling becomes thin and the pancakes are hard to roll. The second mistake is pancakes that are too thick or cooked too dark. They should be thin and only light golden, about 1 minute on each side, otherwise they tear when you fold the sides in over the filling. The third mistake is using crème fraîche that is too low in fat. The light versions split in the heat, so choose 18% or 38%, and spread it in an even layer all the way out to the edges of the dish so that all the parcels are covered.
How to serve Ukrainian pancakes
Serve the pancakes warm straight from the dish, and spoon a little of the cream from the bottom over each portion. They go well with:
- Fresh berries such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
- Berry compote when berries are out of season
- A spoonful of honey for those with a sweet tooth
- A light dusting of icing sugar just before serving
Storage and reheating
Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat the pancakes in the air fryer at 150 °C for 5-7 minutes, until heated through. If you want to freeze them, do it without the crème fraîche: the filled pancakes can stay in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, and add the butter and crème fraîche only when they are ready to be baked.
Ukrainian pancakes in the air fryer make an ordinary breakfast table feel like a small celebration. Cook the pancakes thin, drain the cheese thoroughly and let the air fryer do the rest. Enjoy your nalysnyky.
FAQ
No. The pancakes are cooked in a frying pan. Only the filled, rolled pancakes go into the air fryer, where they are baked in an ovenproof dish at 160 °C for 15 minutes under melted butter and crème fraîche.
Yes. If you use quark, skip the draining and use only the egg yolk in the filling so it does not become too thin.
Nalysnyky is the Ukrainian name for thin pancakes that are filled, rolled and baked in a dish. Traditionally, they are made with the fresh cheese tvorog and the soured cream smetana, which are replaced here by drained cottage cheese and crème fraîche.
Recipe
Ukrainian pancakes in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
Prices may vary depending on where you shop.
Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Pan - 22 cm
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 Plate
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Brush
- 1 Oven-safe dish - 18 x 18 cm
- 1 Oven mitts
Shopping list
Ingredients
Filling
- 400 g cottage cheese (Weighed before draining; can be replaced with quark)
- 1 pcs egg
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
Topping
- 30 g butter (Melted)
- 2 dl crème fraîche (18%)
How to make it
Preparation
- Place 400 g cottage cheese in a sieve over a bowl and let it drain while you cook the pancakes.
- Melt 25 g butter in a small saucepan and whisk it into the batter.
- Heat a frying pan about 22 cm across over medium-high heat and use 15 g butter for frying, a little at a time. Pour in just over 0.5 dl of batter, swirl the pan so the base is covered with a thin layer, and cook the pancake for about 1 minute on each side, until light golden.
- Repeat until you have 8 thin pancakes and stack them on a plate so they stay soft and pliable. The batter also makes enough for a test pancake.
Filling and assembly
- Press the last of the liquid out of the cottage cheese with the back of a spoon, pour the liquid out of the bowl and tip the cheese into it. Stir the cheese together with 1 pcs egg, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla sugar, and press the largest lumps against the side of the bowl.
- Fill each pancake with 2 heaped tablespoons of the cheese filling, laid in a strip across the bottom third. Fold the sides in over the filling and roll the pancake up tightly into a closed parcel of about 9 cm.
- Melt 30 g butter in the saucepan and brush the base of an ovenproof dish, about 18 x 18 cm, with a little of it. The dish must fit in the air fryer basket.
- Lay the parcels close together side by side in the dish, seam side down, so they hold their shape during baking.
- Drizzle the rest of the melted butter over the parcels. Stir 2 dl crème fraîche until smooth and cover the parcels with it in an even layer all the way out to the edges of the dish.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan.
- Place the dish in the basket and bake the pancakes at 160 °C for 15 minutes. Turn the dish half a turn after 8 minutes so they bake evenly.
- Check that the crème fraîche is bubbling around the edge, that the tops are lightly golden and that the filling has set. If not, give the pancakes another 2-3 minutes at 160 °C.
- Lift the dish out of the basket with oven gloves and let the pancakes rest for 5 minutes so the filling sets and the cream thickens.
Serving
- Serve the pancakes warm straight from the dish with a little of the cream from the bottom spooned over, ideally with fresh berries or a dusting of icing sugar.
Our notes for the recipe
The pancakes themselves are cooked in the frying pan. Only the filled, rolled parcels go into the air fryer. Let the cottage cheese drain thoroughly and press out the last of the liquid, because a wet filling makes the pancakes hard to roll. Cook the pancakes thin and only light golden so they do not tear when folded. Use crème fraîche with 18% or 38% fat, as the lighter versions split in the heat. Tvorog and smetana:
In Ukraine, the dish is called nalysnyky. It is filled with tvorog, a dry fresh cheese, and baked under smetana. Drained cottage cheese and crème fraîche give the same tangy, creamy flavour using ingredients from an ordinary supermarket. If you use quark instead of cottage cheese, skip the draining and use only the egg yolk so the filling does not become too thin. Variation:
Stir a small handful of raisins or a little finely grated lemon zest into the filling. For a sweeter version, sprinkle 1 tsp sugar over the crème fraîche before baking so the top turns more golden. Serving:
Serve the pancakes warm with fresh berries, berry compote or a spoonful of honey. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches in a smaller dish.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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